A recent Daily News article named the Chicago Police Department as the most corrupt in the United States. Their conclusion was based upon the thousands of reports of police brutality as well as the nearly $500,000,000 that has been paid out to victims of their abuse. The city has come under fire for corruption from the mayor’s office on down. The shooting of Laquan McDonald by a Chicago cop and the subsequent cover-up seemed in fact to stretch all the way from the police department to the mayor’s desk. Despite the city’s near bankrupt status, the most corrupt police agency in the nation is planning on putting another 1,000 cops on the streets over the next two years.
The Chicago Police Department has long had a reputation for civil rights abuses and overt brutality. Every generation seems to have its own example which shined a spotlight on the systemic problems within the department. In 1988 it was the case of Andrew Wilson. History’s examination of that case showed a clear and distinct pattern of civil rights violations including outright torture. In 2015 it was Laquan McDonald. His killing and subsequent cover-up again would show the world what the Chicago PD and city leaders were really made of. History has not shown that uncovering corruption leads to its demise. In this case, the city is adding 1,000 police to the department.
The shooting of Laquan McDonald drew attention the corruption that exists at the Chicago PD.
The city has been experiencing a wave of homicides unlike any it has seen before. Relations between cops and residents of the inner city have crumbled to astonishing levels. In order to combat the rise in violent crime, the city believes that adding new police staffing will solve these problems. The addition will ultimately result in new positions for 516 cops, 92 field trainers, 200 detectives, 112 sergeants and 40 lieutenants. The hiring of so many new police officers will cost millions, however, the city has been hesitant to hire new officers, instead, shelling out hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in overtime.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and fired Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy
Another factor is the extremely high dollar amount of lawsuit settlements the city has had to make on behalf of the police department. Averaging over $100 million per year, the city decided it would be cheaper to hire more cops and train them than to continue to pay out for poorly trained officers and their high cost of employment. One question that has been raised is how the city will afford the continuing cost of pension and health care benefits that come with each new employee. Adding a thousand new cops to the payroll will come with a hefty price tag and no one has a explained how they plan to pay for it.
Arrest made at a protest calling for Rahm Emanuel’s resignation over police misconduct.
It is unclear if adding any new officers to the streets will offset the problems we see in Chicago. Better police training leads to officers better equipped to deal with the stresses of police work without having to resort to killing people. Adding1,000 officers to the streets will not solve any problems if the hiring standards employed by the Chicago police and agencies around the country do not change.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/21/chicago-police-department-hiring-officers
http://peopleslawoffice.com/about-civil-rights-lawyers/history/police-brutality-and-torture-in-chicago/
